


Logic Puzzle: Ma Kosti's Busy Day

by lirin



Series: Logic puzzles [4]
Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen, Logic puzzle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22142872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lirin/pseuds/lirin
Summary: Five separate people dropping by unannounced at five separate times to visit five separate members of the Vorkosigan family was rather pushing things, Ma Kosti thought—but she still found the time to make two different dishes for each of them. (A logic puzzle.)
Series: Logic puzzles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1022808
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2019





	1. The puzzle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [semperfiona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/semperfiona/gifts).



> For Fiona! Thanks so much for donating to ConPRMetidos!
> 
> This is a relatively challenging logic puzzle: on a scale from 1 to 5, I would rank it a 4.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with this sort of puzzle, further instructions can be found in the chapter 1 end notes. 
> 
> If you're viewing this work in non-chaptered view, be careful not to scroll down too far: chapter 2 contains the answers.

When it came to cooking, Ma Kosti was fond of a challenge—she wouldn't let anyone say otherwise—but some days were more enjoyable challenges than others.

Today, she'd been given the understanding that it was to be a quiet day at home for the family, with only the usual meals expected and nothing fancy. So she'd decided that it was as good a day as any to catch up on her canning and make a giant batch of bread dough for the week. She'd been prepared for a guest or two to drop by and expect to be fed, because in Vorkosigan House, guests were always dropping by and expecting to be fed; but five separate people arriving at five separate times to visit five separate members of the Vorkosigan family was rather pushing things, she thought. She decided to keep things simple and only serve two dishes —one savory and one sweet—to each pair, instead of a whole pile of things. After all, there was half-risen bread dough on every flat surface in the kitchen, so she could be forgiven if she wasn't at her best.

From the clues provided, can you figure out who each guest (including Helen Vorthys and Byerly Vorrutyer) was visiting (including Miles and Ekaterin), around what time each guest arrived and was served (1030, 1100, 1200, 1230, or 1300), what room they were hosted in (including the First Receiving Room), and which two delicious treats (including chilled cream tarts and pumpkin meatballs) Ma Kosti served them?

  * The two male visitors were the first and the last to arrive.
  * As she used up the last of the crust on the spiced peach tarts, Ma Kosti wished that she'd made pie crust instead of bread dough that day. But there was no time to make more now, so any other guests that might arrive after that point would have to eat something other than tarts.
  * Mark's visitor and the person in the library arrived before the person who was served stuffed okra or the person who was served plum clafoutis.
  * The visitor whose given name came first alphabetically was visiting the Vorkosigan whose given name came last alphabetically.
  * The four foods that were taken to the receiving rooms were beet cream soup, stuffed okra, chocolate bombe, and peach crumble.
  * Spiced peach tarts were eaten before either Kareen Koudelka or Aral's guest arrived, but after food was served in the garden and in the Second Receiving Room.
  * Ma Kosti ascertained that Alys Vorpatril was not accompanied by Simon Illyan before she served her the chocolate bombe. She'd resolved never to serve it to ImpSec (even retired ones) after that one misunderstanding when everybody overreacted to the name of the dessert.
  * The guest in the Yellow Parlor was served two hours after the spiced turnip soup was served.
  * Of the female visitors, one visited Cordelia, another ate beet cream soup, and the third ate plum clafoutis.
  * One hour after Ma Kosti served the stuffed grape leaves, a new arrival made her regret that she didn't have pie crust left, because she knew how much Ivan Vorpatril liked her spiced peach tarts. Oh well, she could at least put together a peach crumble that she hoped he would like nearly as much.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logic puzzles contain all the information you need to know who was thinking about what and where they were and all, but not in a particularly linear order. If you keep track of what you do know and eliminate everything that can't be true, eventually, you'll figure out what is true. The grid helps you keep track of what you know; you can fill it with X's for things you know must be false and O's for things you know must be true.
> 
> If you want more help, Penny/Dell Puzzles has a short guide to solving logic puzzles [here](https://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/How-to-Solve-Logic-Problems.pdf). (Link is to a PDF.)
> 
> Grid was taken from [T.L. Styer's Logic Puzzle Grids](http://www.tlstyer.com/LogicPuzzleGrids/) and done up in Microsoft Paint.
> 
> Answer Key is in the following chapter.


	2. The solution

Warning: this chapter contains the answers to the puzzle. If you haven't solved it, you might want to go back to the previous chapter without reading further.

Kareen Koudelka arrived to visit Ekaterin Vorkosigan at 1230. They ate pumpkin meatballs and plum clafoutis in the Yellow Parlor.  
Alys Vorpatril arrived to visit Miles Vorkosigan at 1100. They ate beet cream soup and chocolate bombe in the Second Receiving Room.  
Ivan Vorpatril arrived to visit Aral Vorkosigan at 1300. They ate stuffed okra and peach crumble in the First Receiving Room.  
Byerly Vorrutyer arrived to visit Mark Vorkosigan at 1030. They ate spiced turnip soup and chilled cream tarts in the garden.  
Helen Vorthys arrived to visit Cordelia Vorkosigan at 1200. They ate stuffed grape leaves and spiced peach tarts in the library.  


**Author's Note:**

> DVD extras/making of post [here on my Dreamwidth](https://lirin-lirilla.dreamwidth.org/2020/01/05/).


End file.
